HomeRF Working Group Chosen as a "Must See" at COMDEX Fall

LAS VEGAS, November 22, 2000 - Punctuating its successful exhibition at last week's COMDEX Fall 2000 trade show, the HomeRF Working Group (WG) was named a "Must See" by show management. The Working Group exhibited in the Home Networking Hot Spot, which it co-sponsored with Parks Associates and CABA.

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HomeRF's booth, modeled in the form of a house, demonstrated wireless home networking in various rooms including a kitchen, a bedroom and a living room. Products were on display by member companies including Cayman Systems, Compaq, Intel, Proxim, Siemens, Simple Devices and uniView. HomeRF-enabled technology was also presented elsewhere on the floor with Honeywell showcasing its WebPad computer tablet with wireless connectivity and the new "iRobot" with a built-in Proxim Symphony-HRF card.

"Following on the heels of our recent organizational restructuring, we wanted to emphasize our member companies' commitment to both HomeRF and product development," said Kevin Negus, Ph.D., chairperson of the Working Group. "Even though our booth competed with a number of computing devices being displayed throughout the show floor, we were the most heavily trafficked wireless home networking booth at the show. In fact, HomeRF hosted more than 4,000 visitors wanting to see HomeRF-enabled products first-hand."

HomeRF and its member companies displayed the latest in home connectivity in the booth during COMDEX Fall 2000. With five separate wireless subnets in operation within the booth area, HomeRF-based products performed without interference interruption - an important characteristic for high-density apartments. During one demonstration, uniView streamed MPEG 4 digital video to their digital set-top box, from a computer using the Intel Wireless Anypoint product. Over the length of the show, uniView delivered the 750 kbps stream without interruption from other wireless traffic.

In addition, Simple Devices demonstrated their new wireless Internet Alarm Clock and their SimpliFi tuner that wirelessly connected a home PC that managed MP3 audio and Internet radiobroadcasts to a standard stereo tuner. Many of the computers in the booth were supported by Cayman's DSL gateway and Compaq's iPAQ Connection Point residential gateway providing wireless Internet access to a Casio Casiopeia Web tablet, PCs in Intel's booth across the aisle and the uniView set-top box.

"We recognized early on that home networking and wireless connectivity would be a highlight of the show," said Bill Sell, general manager for Key3Media, COMDEX organizers. "We were pleasantly surprised with the reception that the Home Networking Hot Spot received, and every time I went by the HomeRF booth, it was packed!"

About The HomeRF Working Group
Launched in March 1998, the Home Radio Frequency Working Group has developed a single specification (the Shared Wireless Access Protocol - SWAP) for a broad range of interoperable consumer devices. SWAP is an open industry specification that allows PCs, peripherals, cordless telephones and other consumer electronic devices to share and communicate voice and data in and around the home without the complication and expense associated with running new wires. SWAP-compliant products operate in the license-free 2.4 GHz frequency band and utilize frequency-hopping spread spectrum RF technology for secure and robust wireless communications. The current membership of the group reaches nearly 100 companies and is made up of leading companies across the PC, consumer electronics, networking, peripherals, communications, software, retail channel, home control and semiconductor industries worldwide. For more information and a complete list of members, please visit the web site at http://www.homerf.org .